Heating problems with my housemates.

ecangel24

I'm not sure if I am posting this in the correct place, sorry and move me if i'm wrong!

Basically my I'm really struggling with the amount of gas and electricity my housemates use. I dont really get on with them anyway, at the moment am not in the position to be able to find somewhere else.

But the problem is they have the heating on ALL of the time and leave everything on standby. I understand that it is one of their Mums house, but I cant help but feel i'm paying my fair share of the bills and should therefore have a say.

I moved in in at the start of September, and after a couple of weeks noticed their excessive heating use. I decided the best thing to do was to talk to them about it. They agreed to turn the radiator down in the bathroom down to 3, but thats all i got. And about a week later they turned it back up. When I bought that up they said it was getting too cold.

They have the heating on all day everyday, even when they are in bed asleep.

I just don't know what to do, do i have to just accept it and pay up? I dont have the heater on in my room, its just ridiculous. They walk around in t shirts, and when i suggested maybe wear a jumper or a blanket they say why should we, it will still be cold.

Sorry if i babbled.
thank you in advance for any advice

tanith

Either turn the control on the boiler down or set the thermostat lower.... hope they realise how much the bills are likely to be...

Steph998

It's only going to get worse with winter well upon us. They sound like they have been brought up to not care about lights left on, switching everything off etc, like you have.

Have you actually had a bill yet since you moved in so you can see what they are using quarterly? (Maybe their mums are paying for their gas and elec anyway so they don't care! )

Have you thought about asking to have a gas and electricity meter fitted? This costs nothing to fit, and you could all put on an agreed amount every month, and anything over that would have to be discussed. I think you should point out to your flat mates that you feel you do not use as much as them - they should know this by now - and therefore the bills are not being fairly split. I would work out how much you actually think you use, based on how often you are in alone, how often you switch the heater on in your room, how often you use the gas. Write it all down and keep a daily dirary if you have to. Then say you are willing to give X amount, but not anything over that. Even though the flatmates Mum owns the flat, she is still the Landlord, and you have some rights!

Maybe you should just turn on the heating in your room full blast and make the most of the heat until you can move out. Why should you sit in your room freezing when
they are walking around in tee shirts? To be honest, it doesn't sound like a recipe for a successful flat share.....you could look at your local Gumtree for another vacant room.

ecangel24

I tried suggesting they turn down the thermostat, even just by one degree but they wouldnt have it. Infact once the girlfriend had a go because i'd turned it down. I just did it without thinking, because i came home one night and the whole house was boiling.

They don't care about the bills, he's got plenty of money to pay anything, and he doesnt even work.

Steph998

I don't think you have any option but to move out. Sounds like a hellish place to live, in more ways than the heat!

pandora205

Just think yourself lucky - you could be married to someone like this!

I think many young people (assuming they are) have no idea about the cost of things unless they haven't much money or have paid a few bills from their hard earned cash. (I know my teenage offspring are like this - windows open and heating on etc.)

ecangel24

Steph, thats another thing with the bills. They make me and another guy who lives there pay 55 pounds in bill money each month, even though gas and electricity only come quarterly. Supposedly that covers the bills. The other guy questioned them on it last week, but they wouldnt do it any other way.

I'm never there, I literally just sleep there and last night i didnt even do that! (napped in the uni library! lots of work on at the moment!) . The guy whos mum bought the house is unemployed, he is supposed to be ill, but from what i can tell he just sits around smoking spliffs all day. The girlfriend works. And the other guy has a job aswell but also just smokes lots of drugs all day when he's not at work. They just sit and play computer games all the time.

Its a really uncomfortable house to live in, they are all much older than me but unforunately was left in a difficult position with my last landlord and only had 2 days to find somewhere new to live.

AnnieM_3

Is your name on the bill? I may get shot down for this but here's my suggestion if it's not...

Tell your housemates that it's fine by you if they want to have everything switched on and full blast, but that they will have to accept you will only put in for a 'reasonable' share. How much that is you'd have to decide.

Maybe you could get an OWL for the electric - you can go away for a weekend and monitor the cost for when you are not there, as opposed to when you are, so you can judge your own consumption:

http://www.electricity-monitor.com/owl-c-30.html

I think I'd be looking for another place to live, though. It sounds like more trouble than it's worth!

rchddap1

I'd suggest you'd find somewhere new. Doesn't sound like anything is going to hange no matter what you say or do.

Rikki

My son has the same problem in his student house.

The two he shares with are being fully supported by their parents. Rent, bills and a weekly allowance. My son is funded by a grant and a job.
He is trying to be careful. Closing doors turning out the lights, heating not too high. He's dreading the bills coming in as he has to pay his third on his own.
He's finding it frustrating as he need to keep the costs down and they really don't understand.

I agree with you entirely about trying to get them to understand. Suggest splitting the bills 40% each of them and 20% you. That will grab their attention. You really need to get the heating on timer. Hot when they get up and cold during the night, they'll be asleep and probably wouldn't even notice. Turn the thermostat down and keep closing the doors it will feel just as warm.

Cornball

I sort of had the opposite situation: My one flatmate was an absolute miser who would not let me use the heating at all! I begged to have it on just in my room at night, offered to pay the difference between summer and winter bills and basically lived in misery for the whole winter as we fought constantly, she would turn it off after I went to bed (I worked an early shift) and I just froze, slept poorly and caught every cold going.

The common ground here being...it's a very difficult issue when flatsharing and I couldn't live with her anymore, feeling villified for wanting comfort (just as you feel villified wanting reasonable usage).

It's not really advice I know mate, but I think it's one of those like it or lump it situations. Have my own place now, and I charge a flat rate to my tenant so there are no arguements regarding usage. His nickname is "the human radiator" anyway so I'm probably saving money.

Could you suggest that you pay a flat rate inc. rent & bills to the head tenant as a compromise? Best of luck.